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  Exploring the consequences of "coming out" as an atheist in a religious family. It’s funny. When you’re growing up, you never dream that one day you’ll break your father’s heart. You certainly don’t plan for it. Or even desire it. But 2 months ago, that’s exactly what happened. 2 months ago, I officially “came out” and told my father I was an atheist. Dad wasn’t born into a particularly religious family. But he chose God at an...

Some thoughts about the biblical nativity story Some thoughts about the biblical nativity story Baby Jesus For Ransom I was driving with some friends the other night, and we came upon a cluster of police cars, lights flashing, surrounding a vehicle in front of a church. On the church lawn was a small nativity scene. Joseph. Mary. And a cradle. An empty cradle. The baby Jesus was missing. So…we surmised that the perp must’ve been some mischievous kids trying to steal Christ...

The Bible Makes Harry Potter Look Like Wikipedia If you believe the Holy Bible is absolutely, perfectly accurate and infallible: • You also believe in dragons. Yes, the authors of scripture speak about dragons as real creatures.  (Deuteronomy 32:33, Job 30:29, Psalm 74:13, Isaiah 27:1, Jeremiah 9:11, Micah 1:8) • You believe in the Satyr, a creature of Greek mythology. It is a man with a goat’s legs, ears and horns. (Isaiah 13:21, Isaiah 34:34) • You believe in the...

A quick look at some of history's worst acts. Sometimes the headlines and history books make my head ache. I shudder at the idea of so many dictators and powerful leaders who committed monstrous acts against their fellow men and women. Like Taliban leader and terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarquawi, who once had a woman stoned to death for gathering sticks to make a fire on a cold day.  Or Ugandan President Idi Amin, who sent his soldiers into cities with orders to kill all of the men (including...

This is just my personal observation, but I believe it has merit In my quest to test the merits of Christianity over these past years, I’ve seen a pattern. I ask tough but legitimate questions to people of faith, and the answers that come back usually place the sender into one of four categories. The more people I speak with, the more repetition I see. The categories are: THE FEELER The Feeler often has a bible in tow and easily interjects God and Jesus into everyday...

(Don't tell me you've never wondered this stuff.) Upon my death, if I am indeed to stand at the Pearly Gates and seek entrance to Heaven, and if I am required to give account at the judgment seat for the totality of my life, I’ve decided to arrive prepared. I’m compiling a list of honest, simple, legitimate questions for God. He has questions. I have questions. • If you made Eve from Adam’s rib, why do men and women still have 12 pairs of ribs each? • Why did you...

Why our spiritual father should be more tangible than our physical one I was born on April 12th, 1968 at St. John’s Hospital, just a few moments before the clock struck midnight. My twin sister was born 5 minutes before me. I try to picture the scene in my mind. The doctor cuts the umbilical cord. The nurses clean me up and wrap me in a warm blanket. Helpless in a foreign environment, I’m immediately attended to from all sides and placed in the warmth of my mother’s arms. ...

An examination of how our upbringing shapes our religion. Somewhere in Asia, a child is born to Buddhist parents. The child is taken to Buddhist temples, prays to Buddha, pays homage to Buddha statues and is surrounded from birth by all things Buddhist. His philosophy for living is that there is one true god, and he is Buddha. Somewhere in Saudi Arabia, a child is born to Muslim parents. The child is versed in the Koran, prays to the East five times daily, and is indoctrinated in the culture...

An exploration into why people require no "god" in their God. I’ve noticed a pattern when it comes to people and their faith. I’m sure there’s probably some genuine research on the subject that goes far deeper than my humble observations, but perhaps a layperson’s point of view will do. I’ve noticed that people tend to adopt a bunker mentality when you ask them simple questions to defend their faith. Discussions become argumentative. The walls of defense go up....